Ghosts
by jen81265
Summary: Sometimes the past comes back to haunt you. Casey/ OC
1. Chapter 1

I don't want anyone to think that I'm Ellie bashing. I think her character is great. But it seems like every time I read about Casey, he's paired up with her and he's always beating himself up about how he's not good enough for her. I think John Casey deserves someone who can match him step for step, gun for gun, and snide comment for snide comment. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Chuck universe.

Ghosts

Chapter One

The day had started out simply enough. Check in with head quarters. Follow the intersect to work. Keep the perimeter of the store secure. Keep an eye on Chuck Bartowski. Perhaps move a little merchandise in the process.

John surveyed the ensemble gathered at the Nerd Herd central desk. He had been in the middle of unpacking a shipment in the back when he had heard the page over the intercom.

Chuck didn't seem stressed or overanxious. If he had flashed, he would more than likely have been watching for Casey as Casey had entered the sales floor.

The two green shirts standing near Chuck and the female customer standing in front of the help desk seemed to have Chuck's full attention. Perhaps Chuck hadn't flashed on anyone after all. Maybe this was simply BuyMore store business.

In fact, Chuck actually seemed amused now that Casey had had a chance to study his demeanor. Casey shifted his attention to the customer. A blue-eyed brunette in black boots, black jeans, red pullover, and a black suede jacket.

Chuck saw Casey approaching and waved him closer. "John, this customer was asking for you. Said that you had helped her earlier. Showed her a high def big screen."

The brunette turned at John's approach and smiled. "Yes, I was in here the other day and you really were so helpful that I wanted to make sure that you got credit for the sale."

"Well, ma'm, that's very kind of you, but we don't receive commission. Although I'll be glad to accompany you to the register and help you with the paper work so your big screen can be delivered for you."

The brunette's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before traveling once down his body, then back up to his eyes. "I'd appreciate that very much Mr. Casey. John, is it?"

Minimal time was needed at the register. A swipe of a credit card, a few questions, and then Casey was following the woman out of the store and onto the sidewalk. She glanced back at him and smiled, before continuing to her car.

Leaning against the '66 mustang at the far end of the parking lot, she watched as he surveyed the area before approaching her. Having more than a half a foot on her in height might have made Casey seem intimidating to most people, but the woman merely smiled up at him as he loomed over her.

Leaning forward to trace a finger along her jaw line, Casey then touched her lips gently with his. As she returned to pressure, his kiss became more urgent. He slid his hand down her shoulder to her back, bringing her closer to him.

Casey felt her hand on his chest and realized he needed to focus. Breaking the kiss, he took a step back. "How'd you find me," he demanded.

She smiled and reached forward to straighten his name tag. "It wasn't very hard this time." She paused. "Or maybe, I'm just getting better."

Casey's gaze traveled the length of her body. He considered the black boots, and the waist length jacket. "You carrying concealed?" he speculated.

"Of course," she answered, indignant. "But, how about answering one of my questions now. Where'd you have our TV delivered to?"

Casey's lips were set in a grim line. He could tell it was going to be a long day. "Well, at least you don't know everything."

"I just got into town this morning. Give me time." She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him again before climbing into the Mustang. "Now, I need your address and your keys." She snapped her fingers impatiently.

"There's sensitive material and safety precautions there that I'm not comfortable trusting you with." He grimaced. "You'll have to wait until I get off work here."

"Fine, I'll wait at the Weinerlicious." She climbed back out of the car, bringing a lap top with her. "I can do some work, while I wait."  
"Not the Weinerlicious," Casey scowled. "There's a sandwich shop in the mall. Wait there."

"Can do," she replied walking away.

Casey followed her progress, analyzing her posture, and demeanor. She didn't seem to be paying much attention to her surroundings. Sloppy. However, appearances could be deceiving.

The day had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

The brunette followed Casey up the sidewalk towards his home. She watched him walk, her gaze lingering on his shoulders and back before traveling further downward. She was glad he had changed before leaving the store. The BuyMore green didn't suit him in her opinion. She was used to seeing him in black or camouflage.

Casey turned back to her and surveyed the double suitcase she was rolling behind her. "Hell, Jamie, how long are you planning on staying?" he demanded before entering his house.

"As long as you are," Jamie replied slinging the carry-on over her shoulder and adjusting her grip on the suitcase handles as she waited for Casey to punch in numerous codes on several keypads throughout the house.

"Damn it, Jamie. I'm on a mission." Casey rubbed the ridge of skin between his eyebrows. He could feel the start of a tension headache beginning.

"You know the rules. This mission is taking longer than expected and you're on home soil." Jamie crossed her arms and glared across the central command/living room at him. "Are you going to kick me out?"

Casey crossed the few feet separating them and leaned down to kiss his fiancé. "I really didn't think that was an option."

Please read and review. This is my first Chuck fiction.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Chuck or anything from his world.

Chapter Two

The first sound Casey heard upon awakening the next morning was the sound of Jamie breathing. The rhythmic sound of her breaths told him that she was still asleep. It wasn't quite dawn. The sun wasn't up yet. He took a few moments just to enjoy the moment. He could smell her shampoo, her perfume, and another scent, one that was wholly and uniquely Jamie. Of this he was certain. He had known it for over twenty years. He opened his eyes so he could watch her sleep. She wouldn't be this quiet for long. He knew she would wake soon. She had been a very light sleeper ever since the first break in.

He had been on assignment and out of the country. A simple burglary, unrelated to him or his job. She'd been home alone when the two men had come in. He'd made sure that everything that she would need for protection had been within arm's reach of the bed. The two intruders hadn't been expecting any resistance so she'd had no trouble neutralizing the targets. Local law enforcement had deemed it as self-defense and no charges had been filed.

Jamie hadn't reported the incident to him until he had finished his mission and was back on home soil. She wanted to make sure that his head had stayed in the game and there were no distractions that might endanger him or his unit.

To say that he'd been pissed was to put it mildly.

As if sensing Casey's scrutiny, Jamie's eyes opened and she slowly smiled. "How was last night for a homecoming?" she asked. She closed the distance between them so that she could lean in to kiss him gently. "I've missed you. Mornings haven't been the same without you."

"Good to know," he replied, returning the kiss. He reached out to pull her closer, sliding his hand along the soft skin of her belly. His fingers inched upward, and he deepened the kiss.

Casey realized with aching clarity that they needed to stop. He tried to focus. He didn't have time for this right now. He had a briefing in a few moments. Walker had kept an eye on the intersect the night before, but they were supposed to check in with the General this morning.

He sat up and forced himself from the bed. "I have to go downstairs for a meeting. You stay here until I come back. I have a few ground rules that I need to cover with you."

"Keeping my presence here a secret? Are you sure that's advisable." Jamie sat up and the sheet fell away from her body. Seeing her tanned from top to toe, Casey wondered if Jamie had taken up nude sunbathing. It wouldn't surprise him. Nothing she did surprised him anymore.

He pulled his gaze back up to her face, and frowned. "There is a certain finesse that needs to be used in this situation. I don't want your presence announced the way it was last time. When you walked by the camera. In the nude."

"Oh, yeah…" Jamie grinned. "Good times, huh, John."

Casey stood at ease in front of the satellite lead. General Beckman was outlining the plan for the evening.

"Agent Walker, you are to accompany the intersect to the Embassasy and see if he flashes on anything. We are hoping that he can identify the third member of Stano's ring. Casey, you are to go in as part of the wait staff."

"Understood, General." Casey nodded.

Jamie was dressed by the time that Casey reappeared in the bedroom. She was checking two of her guns when he entered. She smiled up at him. "So what's the plan for today?"

"My plan is to be gone most of the day. Come home. Change and then be gone all evening and possibly most of the night. Your plan is to stay out of the living room. You have free access to the kitchen, and the three upstairs bedrooms. On no condition are you to touch anything in the living room however." Casey cocked his head and squinted his eyes. "Do you have in colored contacts?" He was noticing several changes in the light of day that he hadn't paid attention to last night in the heat of the moment. They had been quite occupied soon after the door had been closed and locked.

"Yeah," Jamie replied, checking the supplies in her purse and looking for her laptop. "Just thought I'd try them out. It makes my eyes slightly darker."

"Liked them better before," Casey grunted.

Jamie raised her eyebrows, and tilted her head slightly. "Don't stress. It's not permanent. I'm going to explore the city a little today after I finish un-packing." Jamie indicated her suitcase. "I'll put most of my clothes in the guest bedroom."

"I'll give you the address of one of the ranges that I use for practice. You should check it out. " Casey cleared his throat. "So, we're clear about the living room," Casey repeated.

"Crystal," Jamie affirmed, walking over to her suitcase and beginning to lug it to the bed. "Go! Shoot bad guys. I'll see you later."

Casey paused after locking Jamie into the house, and thought about the turn of events. He had known that she was bound to turn up sooner or later if this assignment continued to drag on. He had just hoped that it would be later than sooner. He always worried more when Jamie was in close proximity.

Of course, he had been worrying about her for over two decades, so he should be used to it by now. He thought back to when they first met.

Even though they went to the same school, he had never paid much attention to her until the day he heard the report of the guns through the woods on his parents' land. Following the sound, he found her and her brother in the field next to his parents' farm. James, her brother, was training Jamie in the safe handling and discharge of different fire arms. When Casey had asked to join them, Jamie had blown him off.

She'd said if he couldn't speak to her at school then they had nothing to say to each other now. Her brother, James, had shrugged and turned his back on Casey, signifying that Jamie evidently had the final say so. It was her that Casey would have to win over. It had taken Casey three weeks to convince her to allow him to join their Saturday morning target practice.

When James had graduated and joined the army, he had asked Casey to keep an eye on Jamie. James had been pretty good at reading people and situations. Casey wondered if James had predicted the relationship that would develop between Jamie and Casey.

If he had, Casey wasn't sure whether to curse him or thank him.

Casey headed to the BuyMore.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck or anything from his world.

Author's questions. How old do you think John Casey is? I know that Adam Baldwin is around 46, but what about Casey? Same age, or younger? I may need to change a few comments my characters make.

Chapter Three

Jamie watched Casey through the upstairs window, and chuckled. Boy, he was wound tight right now. She knew how he hated not being in control of the situation. Good thing that wasn't going to deter her. She went over to the bureau and surveyed the two top drawers. Casey's skivvies were in one drawer, his socks in the other. She would just have to combine the contents of one of the drawers so she would have a place to put her bras and underwear. Jamie laughed, thinking of how Casey's o c d tendencies were going to react to the state of his underwear drawer when she got through with it. She shook her head. God, she had missed him.

It was later than Casey had predicted when he arrived home that night. Technically, it could be considered the next morning. The intersect had flashed on two former Russian operatives and that had required a bit more of an investment of time that Casey had previously factored in.

Stopping in the doorway, he took a moment to consider Jamie sleeping peacefully in their bed. She looked so vulnerable. An easy mark. Someone to worry about. He definitely did not miss this part of having her in his life.

Evidently he had paused for a moment too long, because Jamie was now sitting up in bed with a 9 mm. in her right hand. Okay, maybe not an easy mark.

"Unarmed," he said, holding up both hands in the universal gesture of surrender. He walked further into the room, glad that he had kept the vest on. "You're a little slow, you know. I've already walked through the entire apartment. If I were an intruder, I'd have the upper hand."

Jamie put the safety back on the gun, and tucked it away. "I'm a lover, not a fighter, John. Come to bed. I'll show you."

Okay, this part, he had missed.

He unlaced his boots, and began removing an assortment of weapons. The black shirt and bullet proof vest were next. Jamie knelt on the bed to help him with the vest. Kissing him lightly, she teased him with her fingertips. When he leaned forward to deepen the kiss, she leaned away.

"Glad I'm here?" she asked, slipping her hands under his t-shirt and unbuckling his pants.

"Always," he replied leaning in for another kiss.

"I think you're just saying that because I have my hands in your pants," Jamie met his kiss this time, and slid her hands up to trace the scars on his stomach and chest. Scars she knew very well. It was good to know that there weren't any new ones.

Jamie pulled the t-shirt over Casey's head. She traced the fine line of hairs that lead from his chest down to his stomach. Giving Casey a gentle push so that he was leaning back on the pillows, Jamie rose up in a position of dominance.

Casey smiled and waited to see what Jamie would do next. He reclined on the bed, hands behind his head, fingers laced together, as she rubbed her thumb across one of his nipples. Leaning down to tease the other one with her tongue, she moved her hand down the trail of darks hairs that led down his stomach. Stopping at his waist band, she looked up to see John's eyes darken.

Digging her nails into his side, she pushed herself up higher, so that she could suck gently on the skin at his neck. Licking her tongue gently across the caratoid artery, Jamie felt John gripping her buttocks. He pulled her atop him, grinding her crotch across his hips.

Straddling him in her panties left no doubt in Jamie's mind as to how aroused Casey was. Rubbing herself against the bulge in his cargo pants relieved none of the pressure that Jamie felt building inside of her.

She looked down at Casey. A face so familiar that she saw it every night in her dreams watched her from under hooded eyes. Even after twenty years she still couldn't stop the uncontrollable desire she felt for him. When he was gone, it was impossible to fill the empty hole he left behind, though God knows she tried.

She felt his hands gripping her hips, urging her to ride him. Suddenly the cloth separating them was too much to bear. Jamie wanted it gone. Sliding off of Casey, she finished undressing them both.

Casey, tired of playing the submissive partner, pulled Jamie down beside of him. Hands still gripping her hips, he kissed her, gently at first. Then as her lips parted, and his tongue touched hers, he pulled her closer. The hard shaft pressed against Jamie's stomach conveyed with no uncertainty how aroused Casey was.

Jamie breathed deeply, trying to control her reactions but as Casey's tongue slid along hers, her resolve disappeared. Throwing one leg over his hips, Jamie felt Casey's breath quicken. He pushed her down onto her back and pulled both her hands out to the side. With Casey's lips on her neck, she felt him enter her and Jamie abandoned all hope of being in control of the situation. Really, though she knew she had never been in control. John had just let her think she was.

That was usually how their relationship went, a constant battle for control.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Chuck's world. I just like to visit.

This chapter feels weak to me. I really would appreciate some constructive criticism. More scenery descriptions, character detail, inner thoughts, dialogue…what's it missing? Please review.

Ghosts

Chapter Four

Jamie lay facing Casey, content in the afterglow. "You're trying to fall asleep aren't you?" She nudged Casey with her knee.

Casey grunted assent.

Jamie rubbed her hand along the stubble on Casey's face. "Oh, no you don't. We need to talk. Have you told Beckman that I'm here yet?"

Casey grunted again.

"How is Diane? What did she say?" Jamie let a fingertip trail along Casey's neck and further down to his chest.

Casey gave up on being able to drift off into a nice peaceful sleep. He opened his eyes and smiled at Jamie. "She said your arrival was inevitable and the less that she sees of you, the better. She also said that if you interfere in any way with my assignment here that she'll have you brought up on charges."

"Good to know that things haven't changed. What charges?" Jamie questioned.

"Any charges that she wants." Casey moved to brush a stray hair out of Jamie's face. "You didn't have to come here you know. I would have eventually made it back to DC."

"It was taking too long. I missed you," Jamie said in a petulant voice. "Emails just aren't the same." She stopped her cursory examination of Casey's chest to meet his stare. Her voice hardened. "Besides, I was getting antsy. You're an action kind of guy, John. Not an email kind of guy. You need someone out here keeping an eye on you."

"Bullshit. Are you saying you don't trust me?" Casey propped himself up on an elbow, so that he could better study Jamie's reaction to his accusation.

Jamie lay back on the pillow, unfazed. "Honey, you've got enough testosterone for a whole squadron of fighter pilots. There is no way I'm leaving you alone for long.

"You know, I really should be insulted by that comment. But it's pretty much true." He wrapped his arms around Jamie and attempted to go back to sleep.

"So, I don't have to lay low anymore. Things are kosher." Jamie inquired, unperturbed by the fact that Casey had closed his eyes.

Casey sighed. "I haven't mentioned your presence to any one on my team yet. So, give me a few more days. I need to brief Walker and Bartowski."

This time it was Jamie that grunted.

***

If Jamie waited any longer she was going to be late for her meeting with her editor. If they weren't finished up downstairs, it was Casey's own fault. He could deal with the aftermath. Jamie grabbed her brief case and skipped lightly down the stairs. Waving to Sarah and Chuck, she headed for the front door. "See you, hon. Protect the world today." She blew Casey a kiss and slipped out before he could say a word.

Casey, Sarah, and Chuck were standing in the living room, having just finished up a meeting with Beckman and Graham.

Casey rubbed the bridge of his nose, and wondered if it would be possible to just ignore Jamie's journey through the foyer.

Unfortunately, he could tell from the stammers coming from Chuck's side of the room that that wasn't going to be possible.

"A girl," Chuck stuttered. "There was a girl in your bedroom."

"Yes, Bartowski. Occasionally, men do have women in their bedrooms. Women who aren't the plastic blow up type." Casey gritted his teeth and waited. He knew this wasn't going to be the end of Chuck's questions. The sooner they got this over with, the better.

"Ha-Ha! That was the woman from two weeks ago at the Buymore. The one who said you helped her pick out a big screen television."

Casey noticed that Agent Walker was being curiously silent. He addressed his reply to Chuck. "She was very grateful for my assistance. What can I say? I know my big screens."

Casey suffered through Chuck's questions on the way to work. Then, after they had clocked in at BuyMore, Casey tried to spend as much time as possible on the opposite side of the store from the Nerd Herd Help Desk. Chuck seemed to feel for some reason that questioning Casey's personal life was an okay occupation for the day.

Casey realized finally that if he was going to get any peace and quiet today that he was either going to have to hurt Chuck or answer a few questions. He had just decided on the first option when Agent Walker entered the store.

After pulling Chuck aside for a few minutes of conversation, Chuck clocked out and headed for the Weinerlicious for a lunch break.

Chuck entered the Weinerlicious and Sarah met him just inside the door. "Chuck, we need to talk," she said without preamble.

"Yes, I got that impression when you said 'Chuck, come to the Weinerlicious. We need to talk.' What's up, Sarah?" Chuck couldn't help but notice that Sarah was wearing her hair pulled up in a pony tail. A few tendrils had escaped and were hanging down beside of her face. He resisted the urge to reach up and brush them behind her ear.

"Chuck, I know that you plan to question Casey until he gives you some more information about the woman that you saw this morning, but you need to remember that Casey is not a person that you should push." Sarah pushed the lock of hair out of her way.

"Question? Question who? I wasn't going to bother Casey. That would just be crazy. Annoying a person like that when they so obviously don't want to share. No, I wouldn't do that." Chuck stammered.

"Don't get involved. Remember that." Sarah watched Chuck's face. "Understand?" she questioned.

Chuck nodded. "Of course. No, we wouldn't want to get involved in anything that might suggest that Casey has normal human feelings. Staying far away from that."

However, even if Chuck had been able to keep his promise to Sarah, it would have been unnecessary. The object of Chuck's morning preoccupation walked into the Buymore after lunch.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for John Casey." She said as she approached the Nerd Herd Help desk.

"John Casey, did you say? Well, I'm sure I can help you locate him." Chuck said. Looking both ways up and down the aisle, to make sure that Casey wasn't around, Chuck tried to be casual as he asked, "I can have him paged. Who should I say is looking for him?" Chuck waited anxiously.

"Hi, I'm Jamie. John's fiancé.

"Fiancé? Did you say fiancé?" Chuck repeated. Pretty sure that he had misheard the brunette, Chuck shook his head in the hopes that he could clear up his hearing.

"Uh-Huh," the brunette nodded.

Chuck considered her for a moment and decided that this was a once in a life time opportunity. "You know I think that Casey is still on his lunch break. I'm sure he'll be back in a few minutes, if you don't mind waiting."

"No, that's fine." Jamie smiled at Chuck. "It was a surprise anyway."

"I'll bet." Chuck mumbled, walking Jamie towards the home theater section.

"What was that?" Jamie questioned, following Chuck down the aisle, past displays for iPods, and mp3 players.

"Nothing. Why don't you wait over here," he said motioning to the couch in front of the big screen television display area. "You'll probably be more comfortable. Then as soon as Casey's back, I'll let him know you're here. How long have the two of you been engaged anyway?" Chuck asked, nonchalantly.

"Oh, for about twenty years." Jamie smiled.

"Twenty, what? Twenty years? And that would include the last few months?" Chuck fumbled for a few moments. "Wow! That's a long engagement. Most people kind of follow that up with a wedding." Feeling his legs weaken, Chuck sat down on the couch beside of Jamie.

"Well, things always kept coming up. John travels a lot. Seems like he was always being transferred out of the country for one project or another." Jamie stared off into space for a moment or two. "You see, the wedding isn't as important to me as the commitment that a person makes to their partner is. It's the commitment that you put into the relationship that I think speaks volumes. "

Chuck nodded, a little nauseous. "Commitment. Right. And fidelity, I guess. That sort of thing." He glanced nervously at Jamie. Why did the names Ilsa and Carina want to pop out of his mouth now?

She gave Chuck a puzzled look, and opened her mouth to ask him a question when Casey stepped in front of the couch. "Hey there, you!" She smiled in an effort to deter the explicatives that she knew were about to issue from Casey's mouth.

"I had a few questions and I just thought I would drop by so we could talk." She patted the space on the couch between her and Chuck.

"And your phone didn't work? Go away Bartowski." Casey growled.

"Going!" Chuck jumped up and headed back towards the Nerd Desk, glad for a chance to leave before he stuck his foot in his mouth.

Casey didn't sit down. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

Jamie took in Casey's posture, and glare. She had expected nothing less. "Watch the language. I have a gun."

"Only one? I'm disappointed." Casey smiled sardonically.

Jamie kicked him in the shin. He had expected it and didn't flinch, even though she knew her boots would leave a bruise. "I want to order some furniture and equipment, but I figured I shouldn't have strange delivery people traipsing all over the apartment. So I figured you might want to handle it."

"Furniture? What are you talking about? We have furniture." Casey's eyes narrowed.

"I want to make one of the extra bedrooms into an office and living room. The other bedroom into a workout room. With mats, punching bag, weights. That sort of thing. You can handle the purchase order. I don't care about the specifics." Jamie stood up. "Okay. I can see that you are sufficiently pissed off. So I guess my work here is done."

Casey's jaw clinched. "You just wanted to make sure that everyone knew you were here, didn't you. You told Chuck we were engaged."

Jamie studied the tense stance of Casey's body. "We can discuss it tonight, I guess. You look like you could use a good workout." She knew this discussion wasn't going to be settled with just words. "Don't forget to order mats for the workout room. I have a feeling we're going to need them."

Casey watched Jamie leave. God knows, the woman was impossible to live with. But she was impossible to live without, too. He should know. He had tried often enough over the last twenty years.


	5. Chapter 5

Ghosts

I own nothing in the Chuck universe.

Please read and review.

Chapter five

Casey stood in the court yard in front of his apartment, his temper rising.

Chuck hadn't flashed on anything today, and there were no new assignments from General Beckman. He had been looking forward to a nice quiet evening at home, cleaning his guns. He wouldn't need to monitor Chuck's status for the rest of the evening. Chuck was with Agent Walker, "maintaining their cover".

But, when he had reached the courtyard, he had looked up to see Jamie's silhouette framed in one of the upstairs windows. How could she be so careless as to reveal her position that way? That was the main problem with Jamie. She liked to tempt fate.

After doing a perimeter sweep, checking all of the sensors, and testing the alarms, Casey started for the stairs to the second floor. He found Jamie still at the window of the empty second bedroom. Fully intending to give her a thorough lambasting for being so careless, Casey entered the room and flicked off the room lights so their presence wouldn't be so noticeable from outside. As he approached, Jamie didn't turn around however.

He took a moment to study her in silence and came to realize that there were a few details that had escaped his notice during the first week of Jamie's stay. The mass of dark brown curls spilling over her shoulders didn't distract from the fact that Jamie was thinner than the last time he had seen her. The jeans that had been tight on her a few months before hung loosely now.

He had registered the fact that she was thinner their first evening together but, it would seem that he had been too distracted while they were in bed together to notice just how much weight she had lost. Reigning in his anger, Casey slipped his arms around Jamie's waist. "You've lost weight. You haven't been eating."

"Cooking's too much trouble. You know I don't like touching raw meat. And I hate doing the dishes." Jamie leaned back against Casey, relishing the feel of his arms around her, and the weight of his hands on her stomach.

"Cooking's not that much trouble. Besides, you need to be eating healthy." Casey leaned his head against hers. He tried not to fall into the same rhythm of responses, but it was so hard not to. He knew what she was going to say, just as she knew his rejoinder.

"I am eating healthy. Salads and vegetables are easier than pastas and meats." Jamie rubbed her fingers across his hands, traced his fingers, worried the ring he always wore. Her engagement ring was back on her finger, not on the chain around her neck where it had spent sixty percent of their relationship.

"If you don't eat right, you're going to wind up anemic." John wondered how she was able to stay as healthy as she was. With her aversion to raw meat, and him out of the country as much as he usually was, someone else must be cooking for her when he was gone. The thought made his stomach clench.

"If you keep worrying, you're going to end up with a permanent worry line across your forehead." She looked back at him and decided to change the subject

"I still don't have any furniture in here." She stated, turning back to stare out the window again.

"My underwear and socks are having to share a drawer." Casey could feel the butt of Jamie's gun pressing into his stomach. It was a reassuring presence. He moved one hand up to sweep Jamie's long brown hair away from her neck. Gently kissing the back of her neck, he said, "We all have to make compromises."

Jamie felt her skin begin to heat where Casey's lips were touching hers. "That's fine. I'll move my things to a hotel room and you can have your life back the way it was."

Casey slipped a hand under Jamie's shirt and cupped one of Jamie's breasts. His fingers traced small circles around her nipple. He knew she wouldn't leave. They had so little time together as it was. So he played along. "Promise?"

"No," Jamie laughed. Turning, she faced Casey and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.

"You caused me no end of trouble today at the BuyMore. Chuck wouldn't shut up after you left. You would think that male-female relationships were a novelty to him." Casey paused for a moment. "Of course, they might be."

Casey gently traced Jamie's jaw line with the tip of one finger. She closed her eyes, a smile forming on her lips. He leaned down to kiss her gently. He was glad she was here. He missed her whenever he was away. His work always kept him busy, but there were moments, at night, when he thought about her, wondered where she was, who she was with. Some of those thoughts drove him crazy. Even after twenty years he still wasn't used to leaving her behind. That was one rhythm that he would never grow accustomed to.

He sighed and Jamie opened her eyes. Dusty blue eyes flecked with indigo stared up at him. "You know, I'm not very busy tomorrow. I feel bad about all of the trouble I caused for you today," she teased. "I'll just swing by the BuyMore and talk to Chuck for you." She chuckled as Casey's jaw tightened. She continued, "See if I can, you know, clear up any questions he has. It's the least I can do."

Jamie slipped out of Casey's arms, and trailing a hand down his arm, she linked fingers with him to hold his hand.

"Stay out of the store, Jamie," Casey growled, as she led him towards their bedroom. Unfortunately, he knew that no matter how much weight he put behind his words, if Jamie had made up her mind to talk to Chuck then it would be hard to dissuade her. However, maybe he could distract her.

"It's no trouble, really," she replied, turning to walk backwards so that Casey would have a clear view as she began to unbutton her shirt. It wasn't his temper that was rising this time as he closed the bedroom door behind them.

Casey awoke the next morning to the sound of someone pounding on his front door. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. He'd overslept! He hadn't done that in years. "Damn it, Jamie! Did you turn off my alarm?" he demanded sweeping from the bed and grabbing clean clothes from the closet.

"I can neither confirm nor deny those accusations," Jamie replied, sitting up in bed. "Besides, when did you start to need an alarm clock?" she inquired.

Casey noticed that she hadn't picked the sheet up from where it had fallen onto the floor beside the bed. But he wasn't going to be that easily distracted. Not with Sarah and Chuck already waiting downstairs. "Since you kept me up half the night."

"Yeah, but it was the good kind of keeping you up, wasn't it," Jamie stretched and then slid her legs over the edge of the bed.

Having dressed in record time, Casey stopped at the bedroom door and turned back to Jamie. "Stay here."

"So not happening," Jamie said, as Casey left the room.

Casey, Sarah, and Chuck were deep in a heated discussion when Jamie came down the stairs. At her entrance, everyone stopped to stare.

Chuck was the first to speak. "So, I'm guessing that you would be the reason that Sarah had to pound on the door with her gun butt. I'm kidding. She would never do that." Chuck shook his head at Sarah's glare. "Though this is comforting to know, because Sarah was convinced that Casey was tied up in the back somewhere."

"Always a possibility," Jamie said as she headed into the kitchen. "Hi, it's good to see you again, Chuck. Casey has told me absolutely nothing about you, but I'm guessing that the three of you work together. And, you must be Agent Walker," Jamie said, searching through one of the cabinets.

Locating a box of Lucky Charms cereal, Jamie seated herself on one of the stools at the bar, ready for a show.

"You know, Casey hasn't really told us anything about you, and I'm really not comfortable having you here during this assignment, without a little further information." Sarah said, keeping herself between Jamie and Chuck. Out of respect for Casey's privacy, she had resisted using her contacts to order a full background check on Jamie. However, she felt that she had waited as long as she could for Casey to volunteer the information himself.

"No problem, completely understandable," Jamie said, digging one hand into the box of cereal. "Although, I'm surprised that Casey hasn't said anything because, he is usually such a sharing person."

"Really?" Chuck said, edging around Sarah. "Can you tell us a little bit more about that side of Casey? Because we really haven't seen it." Sarah clamped a hand around Chuck's wrist, halting his progress. "Maybe later then. Just a few personal notes about yourself for now."

"Okay, I'm Jameson Miller. I'm a Leo." Jamie said, flippantly. She paused to chew, then continued. "John and I have some history together. Information which he evidently doesn't share with others. We come from the same hometown. In fact, we were neighbors when we were growing up." Jamie pulled another handful of cereal out of the box. "He asked me to marry him when we were sixteen…and when we were twenty – four. We've never been able to follow through on the whole marriage scenario, though. But we've had good intentions, for the most part. What else would you like to know?" She waited.

"At sixteen, huh? Wow, that's young." Chuck stuttered, uncomfortably.

"Yep," Jamie slid down from the stool and headed back towards the kitchen to get a glass of milk, staying as far away from Casey as possible as she did so. "And at twenty-four, don't forget. We attended the same college. I stayed in the private sector, but Casey went the Air Force route and made a career of it." She paused to take a sip of milk. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

"How about telling us why you're here in the first place." Sarah continued to place herself between Chuck and Jamie. It was going to take a lot more information than Jamie was providing before Sarah would feel comfortable having Jamie and Chuck in the same room.

Just because Casey seemed to trust Jamie, didn't mean that Jamie didn't have an agenda of her own that Casey was unaware of. Casey had a weakness for beautiful women. Carina and Ilsa were both proof of that.

Reclaiming her spot on the bar stool, Jamie replied, "Casey had said that he was going to L. A. to retrieve a package. He wouldn't be gone long." At this point, Jamie paused to glare at Casey. "Evidently he was mistaken about the time frame. I came out to see what's so great about California." Jamie ate another handful of Lucky Charms. "Well, if you have any more questions, Agent Walker, what with being with the CIA and all, I'm sure you can find a file on me somewhere."

"Okay, enough care and share time," Casey growled, heading towards Jamie. "We have a meeting, so you need to go back upstairs."

Jamie hopped down from the stool and skirted along the edge of the room, making sure she stayed out of Casey's reach. "Okay, but I'm taking the Lucky Charms with me." Leaning over to Chuck as she passed where he was sitting, she whispered, "Later, we'll talk."

"Lucky Charms, huh? So, I guess she's Irish. That would explain the shamrocks." Chuck teased. "Okay, I'm shutting up," he said as Casey growled and made a threatening move in his direction.

Jamie laughed as she headed back up the stairs. Casey was really going to have to learn to quit telling her to stay upstairs.

A morning spent on the practice range, and in the gym had passed the time quickly. But upon arriving back home, Jamie realized that she had already finished all of the re-writes that her editor had requested. Since her next meeting wasn't until the end of the week, Jamie found herself free of obligations and quickly approaching boredom. Perhaps, today would be a good day to talk to Chuck despite Casey's warnings. Casey had said that they would all be working late. Since part of that work seemed to take place at the BuyMore, Jamie decided to go by the store and check on everyone.

After pulling her Mustang into the parking lot of the BuyMore, Jamie sat for a few minutes studying the store. Green, harsh, fluorescent, a totally unappealing work environment. Jamie didn't understand how Chuck or Casey could stand spending so much time in the store. Surely they could have found some other kind of cover for whatever they were doing.

Jamie unhooked her GPS from its cradle. A gift from Casey. It had been acting up lately. Having it serviced would be a good excuse for going to the store. Casey couldn't argue with that. Well, he could argue. That was to be expected.

Entering the store, Jamie did a quick run through of where everyone was at. Casey was at large appliances, and Chuck was at the Nerd Herd desk. She should be able to have a nice little chat with Chuck before Casey noticed she was in the store. And she did have a good reason for being there.

"Hey there, Chuck." Jamie said approaching the desk. She was glad to see Chuck smiling. Evidently neither Casey nor Sarah had threatened him too badly with warnings about her. "I could really use your help."

Jamie handed the small black rectangle over to Chuck. "I broke my GPS,"

Chuck took the small electronic, and examined its cover. "Really, because these things are quite durable. Maybe it just needs new batteries."

Jamie shrugged, arms crossed. She leaned against the Nerd Herd desk. "The batteries are new. It turns on just fine."

"Well sometimes they have a hard time acquiring a satellite signal. But that's usually only temporary." Chuck explained.

"It has a satellite signal. That's not the problems. Turn it on." Jamie waited patiently, while subtly keeping an eye out for Casey. He'd never let her live it down if he was able to sneak up on her.

"It seems to be working…Wow! Says here that we're in the middle of a lake. Never saw that before." Chuck said letting the surprise show in his voice.

"I see that as a problem." Jamie said nonchalantly.

"I'd say."

"It wanted me to turn left and I didn't want to. It kept saying re-calculating, re-calculating. Then the next thing I knew it said I was driving through a lake. Which I felt was inaccurate considering that I was on Oakwood Lane."

"Understandable." Chuck continued to fiddle with the device.

"You should probably know that this isn't the first time that I've refused to follow its directions. Casey said he knows how it feels. Pretty empathetic of him I thought. Any way I've noticed that lately it hasn't shown my position as driving on the road. I've usually been driving through a field near the road. This is the first lake however. And I didn't even see any lakes out the window," Jamie admitted.

"You know, I think this is going to take some re-programming. When was the last time that you downloaded the latest updates for this?" Chuck asked, continuing to scan through the menu.

Not in quite a while, as in, never," Jamie answered, truthfully. "Actually, I only have it to keep Casey happy. He worries a lot."

"Well, I guess that's his job, isn't it?" Chuck hooked the GPS unit up to his computer. "Worrying, thinking of all of the possible scenarios of what could go wrong, and how to prevent those scenarios."

Jamie watched Chuck start the down load. "Yeah, it makes for a great agent, but a sucky fiancé. I don't know if you've noticed but he can be a bit rigid and sometimes a little pessimistic."

Chuck began running a diagnostic program on the GPS. "Noooo, hadn't seen that side of Casey at all. He's usually the life of the party. "

Jamie grinned. "I really shouldn't blame his job. Casey hasn't changed much over the years. Even at seventeen, he was quiet. The most stalwart teenager you would ever meet."

"Stalwart…steadfast, resolute, committed, unfaltering, determined. And then there in the dictionary there would be a picture of John Casey." Chuck smiled. "Stalwart… a good descriptor of Casey."

"Yeah, it is" Jamie paused for a moment, considering with fondness the object of their discussion. Then she looked back up at Chuck. "But where do you fit into this operation? And what's the package that the three of you are supposed to be retrieving? Isn't three agents a little bit of an overkill?"

Casey was going to murder her for nosing around, but she couldn't help herself. To be honest, she had really been starting to get pissed that John was finally back in the states and his new assignment had him working on the west coast while she had been stuck on the east coast.

Luckily, once she had discovered what area he was working in, it had only taken a few phone calls to set up some one-on-one meetings with her editor. Fly out to California, work on her book, keep an eye on Casey. Kill two birds with one stone.

"Actually," Chuck stammered a bit, before continuing. "I'm just here as technical support. Like the sign says, I'm the nerd." Chuck unhooked the GPS and prepared to hand it back. "Okay, good as new. It should work just fine now."

Jamie turned to study Chuck closely. Maybe he wouldn't be as helpful as she had hoped. "So, you really are the support personnel. Then, that would make you the one who blew up Casey's Crown Vic. He loved that car you know. I don't think that he's gotten over that whole incident yet."

Chuck dropped the GPS.

Jamie leaned over the top of the desk to study the GPS on the floor.

"Wow, I didn't know it had that many breakable parts." Jamie glanced back over her shoulder towards the large appliances section to see the object of their discussion headed in their direction. "Well, I've got to go. Tell Casey he should probably buy me a new GPS unit. Good luck with that."

And with those parting words, Jamie left Chuck holding the proverbial bag.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing Chuck or Casey related. Though I really want to.

Author's Note: This is the real chapter six. I accidentally downloaded the wrong chapter last week. The one that was up for a week is supposed to take place later on. I apologize for screwing everything up. Hope that everyone gets a chance to read this chapter.

Ghosts

Chapter six

Sarah waited patiently at Casey's door. She knew he was checking all of the sensors before letting her in. It was the only possible explanation for the delay. She had seen Jamie leave moments before, so she knew that they weren't involved at the moment. Actually, she had purposely waited for Jamie to leave. Jamie was the reason that Sarah was here.

When Casey answered the door, Sarah noticed that he was dressed casually in black jeans, and a tight grey t-shirt that emphasized his impressive biceps. One thing was certain. Her partner was definitely in shape, physically. But, it wasn't his physical state that she was concerned about at the moment.

Following Casey into the living room, Sarah handed him the flash drive containing the information that she had accessed the night before. "There is nothing in your file about you being engaged," she stated flatly. She climbed up on one of the bar stools near the kitchen and waited for his response.

Casey contemplated the drive in his palm before glancing up at Sarah. "Maybe the techs got tired of updating my status, it changes so often," he said, walking across the room to lay the drive next to his computer console. He would need to make sure that he erased the information on it after Sarah left. Didn't want that laying around for just anybody to find.

"There was plenty of information in your personal file about Jamie, however. The NSA, and Beckman, especially, don't seem to care for her. 'Loose cannon' was one notation, I believe." Sarah watched Casey's reaction carefully.

"Jamie doesn't follow orders well. That doesn't mesh well with most people in the military." Casey kept his expression as neutral as possible, but a small grimace still escaped.

"There was also a separate file on Jamie in the army's inactive file." Sarah saw Casey's jaw clench at this statement.

"If you read her file, then why are you here? You've got all of her information." Casey's grey blue eyes bored into Sarah's, daring her to proceed with her questions.

"I've only got the official reports, and they're sketchy at best. There are lots of holes." Sarah held her ground. She wasn't going to back down, no matter how much Casey tried to intimidate her.

Casey crossed the room slowly. Hands in his pocket, he leaned against the wall next to Sarah. "Ask." He wasn't planning to make this easy for Sarah, and he wasn't volunteering information that she didn't specifically ask for.

"She was in the army for four years? She said yesterday that she went into the private sector." This was one of Sarah's main questions. Why had Jamie lied about her past?

Casey shrugged. "Jamie had a problem following orders. I said she didn't mesh with the military. She's probably blocking the whole four years." Plus there was the fact that Jamie loved to be uncooperative, obtuse, and difficult. Also, lying was second nature to her by now. "Jamie's even less about sharing her personal life than I am."

"She had quite a few commendations in her file. She was good. Very skilled at what she did." Sarah noted, but with a question in her voice.

"She is good," Casey commented.

Sarah noticed that Casey used the present tense. She filed that information away for later. She also noticed that he didn't answer the unasked question hanging between them. "Why didn't she re-enlist, Casey?"

"I told you. She didn't like the military mindset of following orders unquestioningly. She did it for four years. She did it well, but four years was all she could take." Casey pushed off of the wall, and walked back over to the computer console.

"Her file said 'personal reasons'. What personal reasons, Casey?" Sarah slid off of the wood stool to follow Casey across the room. He hadn't met her eyes since she had begun the line of questions about Jamie's military stint.

"The file said 'personal', so take a hint, Walker." This time Casey did look up at Sarah, and Sarah could tell from his expression that she needed to let the question drop for the moment.

"There are a few other incidents noted in your file about Jamie. Events with debatable resolutions. We need to talk about a few of those." Sarah didn't move out of the way even though Casey had moved within inches of her.

"The NSA is satisfied with all of the rulings of any cases in which Jameson Miller is listed as a person of interest. If they're satisfied, then you'll have to be, too." Casey's glare was one that was hard not to break under, so Sarah satisfied herself with moving on to her next question.

"So, when your file said that you had no significant others when you came out here from D.C., what does that say about you and Jamie?" Sarah let Casey pass so that he could move towards the liquor cabinet. A little early for that, Sarah noted.

Casey checked the contents before answering. Noting a few favorites that he was running low on, he filed the information away for later. "We had a fight. We have a lot of those. You may have noticed that Jamie would not be listed under 'subservient'. So officially, I guess you could say that we could be logged in as 'not in a relationship' when I came out to L.A."

"So when she showed up saying that she was your fiancée. Was she delusional?" Sarah asked with upraised eyebrows.

"No, just not quite so pissed off as she had been when I left D.C. Look, Sarah, after twenty-plus years, we take the time we have together any way we can. If she's not mad, and I'm not irritated, then we're back together. It's not a big production. Probably why the NSA stopped changing my status in my file. Anything else?" He asked with exasperation.

Sarah stared out the window. "Yes. Why is your girl friend leaving with our asset?"

All reviews and critiques gladly accepted.


	7. Chapter 7

Ghosts

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Chuck world, though I'd surely like to visit.

Chapter Seven

Jamie smiled at Chuck as they headed out to the street. "Thanks so much for this. You're really helping me out. I just need to pick up a few things from the store, and with the alternator being replaced on my car; I didn't think I was going to be able to get anything done today."

"It's no problem, really," Chuck replied, leading the way to the Nerd Herder. "I'm not working today at the Buy More so my afternoon is free." He paused for a moment. "I really should go back and let Casey know where I'm going, though."

Jamie grabbed Chuck's arm and began pulling him onward towards the car. "Nooo, you can't. This is supposed to be a surprise."

"A surprise? What kind of surprise?" Chuck asked, intrigued, and not just a little worried.

Jamie used Chuck's momentary distraction to snag his keys from his hand. "Why don't you let me drive? This looks like such an interesting car." Jamie beeped the car unlocked and opened the driver's side door.

"Wait, wait, the store frowns on non-nerd herd personnel driving the company car." Chuck stopped at the sidewalk.

"Too late, tech boy, climb in, the bus is leaving." Jamie cranked the engine, and waited as Chuck climbed into the passenger seat, still protesting. Checking her mirrors, Jamie pulled out into traffic, heading for the closest market.

Chuck grabbed onto the dashboard to steady himself as Jamie accelerated rapidly. "You know, we really aren't in that much of a hurry to get there and get back, are we? I mean, really, a more leisurely pace can sometimes be enjoyable. Gives a person a chance to take in the scenery, not to mention the traffic signs," Chuck babbled, as Jamie did a slow roll through a stop sign.

"Don't worry. Driving is my specialty," Jamie said, as she maneuvered the nerd herder expertly, though a little too quickly for Chuck's taste, through traffic.

"What is that annoying dinging sound?" Jamie asked, glancing around the car.

"It's the seat belt warning. You didn't buckle your seat belt. Doesn't your car have a warning bell?" Chuck looked puzzled, and a little sea sick as the car swerved around traffic, barely missing the rear bumper of a Lexus.

"No seatbelts, so no bell," Jamie replied, looking for an opening in the lane next to her.

"No seatbelts, that sounds a little…foolhardy."

"Now, Casey's Vic, remember the one you blew up? It had one of those warning bells, now that I think about it. It was even more annoying than this one. Quite easy to disable though. I could help you out on that account if you would like." Jamie glance backwards to check traffic as she scooted around a Dodge Grand Caravan.

"Why can't we pick a lane and stay in it," Chuck asked holding onto the door frame a bit too tightly.

"Is this going to be the train of our conversation all the way to the store? Because I can tell you, this is going to get old quick." Jamie watched for Chuck's reaction.

Chuck, hoping that Jamie would turn her attention back to the road, said, "What, what was the surprise that you said we couldn't tell Casey about? Because I really haven't seen him as the type that likes surprises."

"Today is our anniversary. I've already got his present, but I wanted to make supper for him." Jamie stole a look over her shoulder as the lane to her left opened up. Accelerating, she changed lanes.

"Hey, hey, hey. Eyes forward while the car is in motion. Use your mirrors, use your mirrors. Or doesn't your car have those either." Chuck slid a little in his seat as the nerd herder swerved around two slow moving cars in the right lane.

"I really don't trust mirrors. I mean, they have that little warning printed right on them, 'objects may be closer than they appear.' And that whole blind spot issue is just an accident waiting to happen." Jamie used the turn lane to pass a stopped car.

Chuck's phone rang. "It's Casey," he said, glancing at the screen.

"Don't answer it," Jamie said, putting her hand over Chuck's phone. "You don't really seem like the type of person who can keep a secret."

If you only knew, Chuck thought. "I really should check in with him. He gets a little antsy when he can't get in contact with… everyone on the team."

"He can wait a little, Chuck. I really want to get this shopping done. I think he's forgotten, and I would love to be one up on him this year."

The phone rang more insistently. "While I can appreciate that, an update might have come in from the General that I need to know about. We might have an assignment that we need to be briefed on."

"So? You're just the tech guy right? Casey and Sarah can handle a briefing for a few minutes, without you. They can fill you in when we get back. This won't take long." Seeing Chuck's obvious hesitation, and discomfort, Jamie reached over and took the phone from his hands.

Flipping the phone open, she said, "He'll call you back later." She then tossed the phone out the window.

Chuck followed the phones trajectory across the highway. "I really wish you hadn't done that."

Jamie's cell phone then began to ring. She reached into her pocket, and pulled it out. Glancing at the screen, she grunted and turned it off.

"Was that Casey?" Chuck asked. "Because that sounded like an angry ring. He's probably very angry right about now. We really should call him back."

"John spends about seventy percent of his time in a disgruntled mood. If a person let that deter them from what they wanted to do, then they would never get anything accomplished." Jamie frowned in exasperation. "You can't let that stop you from achieving your goals.'

"You, you sound as though you have experience in that area." Chuck said, glancing over at Jamie.

"Of course, I do. If John had had his way, we would have broken up ages ago. He's so stubborn. Sometimes, he doesn't know what's best for him." Jamie sighed, and began to slow down for the turn into the local grocery store's parking lot.

"Exactly what do you mean by, 'what's best for him,'" Chuck asked, bracing himself for the stop.

"Me, of course." Jamie climbed from the car, and after Chuck exited, she beeped the car locked, and tossed Chuck the keys. "Okay, enough small talk, let's shop."

After selecting the fixings for a green salad, two large steaks, and a couple of baking potatoes, Jamie headed for the wine section of the store.

"You know, I'm not much of a wine person, but there is one small label that I like, if I can just find it here. I'm not even sure if they carry it here in California," Jamie said glancing up and down the long aisle of beverages.

Jamie studied the signs hanging from the ceiling, dividing the wine aisle into sections. "Well, it's definitely not domestic." She crossed the aisle and began studying the right hand side. "Hmmm, these are all foreign imports. How do they have them arranged?" Glancing up she studied the signs again. "South America, Europe, Asia, Australia. They have them grouped by continent." Jamie walked down the aisle, reading the signs again.

"There's more than four continents, isn't there?" Hands on her hips, Jamie looked at Chuck. "Where's North America?"

"I think they're counting North America as the domestic side of the aisle." Chuck crossed his arms and watched as Jamie surveyed the wine display again. "What wine are you looking for?"

"It's called 'Herding Cats'. It's from South Africa. That's at the tip of Africa, right?" Jamie frowned. "So, where's Africa in this set up?" She walked back up and down the aisle again. "There's a picture of cheetahs on the label. That should be easy to spot."

Chuck glanced at the shelf next to him. "Here's one with a kangaroo. How about that?"

"Not even close. I see penguins, dogs, turkeys, pandas, a lot of fish, eagles, bears." Jamie paused, to look back at Chuck. "You know, this would be a lot easier if they had just arranged the wines by the picture on the label. All of the fish in one section, then the mammals in another, the birds in another, and a special section for the marsupials."

"Yes, I can see how that would make more sense…. To you maybe." Chuck turned to study the front of the store nervously. "You know, maybe they just don't have it. You should pick something else, cause I'm surprised that Sarah and Casey aren't already here. They get really tense when we're out of contact with each other for an extended amount of time."

Jamie looked up. "Chill, Chuck. You would think that Casey was **your** boyfriend."

"No, what? No." Chuck could feel his face turning red at the suggestion. Looking for an opportunity to change the subject, he asked, "So, what did you buy Casey for this anniversary?"

"A gun," Jamie replied, bending down to examine the wines on a lower shelf.

"A gun? That's real original." He should have known.

"It's a really nice gun." Jamie grabbed a bottle off the shelf. "Here it is," she glanced up to study the signs above her. "Right between South America and Asia. I guess that makes sense." She straightened and laid the bottle carefully in the cart. "Okay, we're done here."

Jamie felt a hand grasp her shoulder and a familiar voice growl, "I'll say, you're done here."


	8. Chapter 8

Ghosts

Chapter 8

Disclaimer

Jamie stood in the kitchen eyeing the salad that she was in the midst of preparing. The ride home had been made in stony silence. The fact that John was wound tighter than a top was undeniable. Usually that wouldn't have fazed Jamie in the least. She enjoyed the quiet, and she and John had never been the type of couple that felt that they had to fill the silence with mindless chatter.

But something was different this time. John had really gotten himself worked up when he hadn't been able to get in touch with Chuck. For some reason, John was more concerned about this team than any of the others that he had worked with over the past two decades. And considering that they weren't stationed in a hostile territory, that was saying a lot.

If it had been only Agent Walker that John was concerned about, then Jamie would have been more than a little peeved. But he actually seemed more apprehensive about having the tech guy out of his sight than he was about Sarah Walker's whereabouts. Odd, something that Jamie would have to put a little bit more thought into, but at a later time.

Casey watched Jamie from the living room. She had gone up stairs to change after unloading the groceries. She had come back downstairs in a blue flimsy sundress, and sandals. John knew that there was no way that she could be hiding a piece anywhere on her body in that slinky of an outfit. He felt some measure of relief when he saw her place her gun on the counter top before she began chopping the salad.

Watching her handle the knife as she chopped up the carrots was entertaining all by itself. If he hadn't still been mad at her, he would have offered to help her. Despite her amazing ability with a firearm, Jamie had absolutely no skills whatsoever with knives. John had tried several times to tutor her, had even bargained with a few of his marine buddies to work with her, but it had all been to no avail. If they were lucky she would get through the evening without chopping off a fingertip.

Casey sighed. What the hell had Jamie been thinking, grabbing Bartowski and running off like that? Walker was pissed as hell. Casey wasn't sure if Sarah would allow Jamie back into a room again with Chuck. Luckily, Sarah had gone around the back of the store in search of the couple and Casey had gone in the front. Casey finding Jamie first was probably the only thing that had prevented a major fallout from occurring between Sarah and Jamie.

In Jamie's defense, it was true that she had no idea that she was running off with the asset. She had really thought that she was just borrowing the "tech" guy to run a few errands. Casey sighed and glanced over at the form pulled up on the computer screen. He still had a few reports he had to finish and file from his last assignment with Bartowski and Walker. But, the steaks were sizzling on the grill, and Jamie's present was hidden under the sofa. Maybe he could take a little bit of a break.

After all, it was their anniversary. An anniversary that Jamie thought that he had forgotten about. How unlikely was that? He had never forgotten it before. He had no idea what had made her think that he was unaware of it this time. Even when he had been stationed out of the country, and they had been 'broken up', he had always found a way to send her some kind of message or note.

Casey thought back to that summer night when they had both been only sixteen. They had gone out to watch the meteor shower that always fell in early August. Finding a deserted field was easy enough in the county that they grew up in. The farm access road was dirt and a dead end. No one would be using it until it was time to harvest the corn that surrounded both sides of the road. Corn stalks that were well over six feet tall conveniently concealed Jamie's mustang.

As they sat on the hood of Jamie's car counting the shooting stars, they had begun discussing her brother's deployment out of the country. This led to talk of their respective plans for the future. It was still more than a year until their graduation, but Casey already knew he was following in James's footsteps. Maybe not the army, but one of the armed forces. Casey could think of no better way to show his appreciation for the country that had done so much for his friends and family than by signing up to protect it. James had joined up straight out of high school, however. Casey planned to go the ROTC route.

When he had mentioned this to Jamie, she had merely sighed. John glanced down at Jamie, stretched out across the hood of her car. She was the fly in the ointment, however. Over the last few months, their petting had become significantly more intense. With a nudge from his conscience, Casey thought about James's last request before leaving. Casey was pretty sure that this was not what James had meant when he had asked Casey to take care of his little sister.

With a sigh of his own, Casey stretched out beside of Jamie. She quickly slipped her hand up under the edge of his t-shirt. Despite the heat wave earlier in the day, the night's temperature had dropped quickly, and Jamie's fingertips were cool against Casey's skin. He held his breath for a moment to steady his reaction as he waited to see where her hand would wander next. Sliding her fingers up to lightly trace a circle around Casey's nipples, Jamie slid her hips closer to his. Casey released his breath and leaned down to kiss her. A simple chaste kiss did nothing to satisfy Jamie, and she increased the pressure on his nipples and hips. Casey's resistance had been waning over the last month, and he really didn't know how much longer he could last if Jamie continued her frontal assault.

Jamie seemed to sense this and chose that moment to up the ante. Allowing her fingers to begin a down ward descent, she rubbed her hand across Casey's groin. Even through the denim material of his jeans, it was more than evident how aroused he was from their simple kisses and petting. Leaning forward, Jamie deepened the light kiss that Casey had been trying to give her. Darting her tongue out, she traced his lips, savoring the salty taste, moaning into his mouth when he finally parted his lips and returned the caress with his tongue.

Giving in to the inevitable, Casey rolled Jamie over onto her back and began lightly kissing her throat. He unbuttoned her shirt, unsnapping her bra as he did so. Her nipples were hard and when he gently licked across them, she moaned in pleasure. Sucking one deeper into his mouth, he felt her wiggle underneath him. The sensation of her jeans rubbing across his groin was more than he could stand. Reaching down, he unbuttoned his jeans and re-adjusted himself.

That had, apparently, been the signal that Jamie had been waiting for. She slipped his shirt over his head, and finished unzipping his jeans. Raising himself up on to his elbows to give Jamie more room to maneuver, Casey studied her face and knew he was damned to hell. There was only one honorable thing to do. When he finished making love to her, he would propose. He never in his wildest dreams imagined that she would say no.

Back in the present, it wasn't that first night that Jamie was remembering. It was eight years later. With college graduation behind them, Casey had moved on to basic training. Jamie had surrendered to the inevitable and enlisted, also, but in a different branch of the armed forces. Well into her first two years of her four year stint, Jamie had already realized that following her superior's orders blindly and without question was something that she wasn't cut out for.

Being a sniper, however, seemed to be in her blood. Her brother had always commented on her steady hands, eye-hand coordination, and precision. Analyzing the wind speed, and distance was second nature. But, even with her love of being a decorated marksman being factored in, she still couldn't see this as being her career. Casey, however, that was a different story. She knew he loved what he was doing. His dedication was unquestioning. While her time would be up shortly, she knew that his was only just beginning.

Being in different branches had made spending time together over the last twenty four months almost next to impossible. But providence had smiled on them. For the next forty-eight hours both John and Jamie had been able to schedule some leave time.

Jamie looked up from the bus schedule she was studying. If the buses were running on time, then Casey should be arriving momentarily. With neither of them having a real house, both of them living on their own base, they had decided to meet halfway, a town picked randomly from the map. Luckily, it was a pretty little town, with a beautiful park, and a nice mom and pop's motor inn.

Jamie folded the schedule and scanned the faces of the passengers that were disembarking from the bus that had just arrived. A crew cut so short that his scalp gleamed through was the first familiar characteristic she recognized of the lieutenant she saw standing on the sidewalk. Casey grinned and dropped the bag he was holding so he could catch Jamie as she rushed towards him. It had been eight years to the day since the night when he had first proposed to her. Neither of them were nervous teenagers now. And she could no longer doubt his sincerity or intentions. When he proposed tonight, Casey knew that this time, she would say yes.

* * *

The beep of the buzzer signaling that the baked potatoes were done brought Jamie back to the present. Casey had guessed correctly. She had said yes that second time. And despite their many disagreements, separations, and reunions, it was always the night of his second proposal that Jamie celebrated as their anniversary. Casey might be celebrating the anniversary of the night that they had first made love, but Jamie was celebrating the night that she had decided that no matter what trials they might have to face, they were going to face them together. Casey was sometimes too honorable for his own good, and sometimes he was too self-sacrificing. So, Jamie had known that it was going to be up to her to make sure that Casey didn't forfeit his own happiness in deference to everybody else's. Sometimes that had been a hard objective to accomplish, but more than twelve years later, it was working out better than she had expected.

She grinned as she took the potatoes out of the oven. Grabbing the salad, she headed towards the table that she had set earlier. The candles gave the crowded room a nice warmth. With the overhead lights dimmed the steady glow from the lights of the surveillance equipment seemed almost homey. Casey opened the door to bring the steaks in from the patio grill. Jamie smiled up at him. Despite the fact that most of his comments this evening had been in the form of grunts, Jamie knew that they were past most of Casey's anger over Jamie's latest 'stunt'. When he set the steaks on the table and wrapped his arms around her, Jamie was sure of it. She could probably count on one hand the number of times they had actually been together for their anniversary, so she planned to make this evening count.

Maybe she wouldn't need the handcuffs after all.


End file.
